兔本生故事的传入与中国本土月兔形象的建构

The Rabbit Jātaka and the Construction of the Indigenous Moon Rabbit Image

摘要: 中国月兔形象经历了从本土月精到融合外来元素的本土化演变过程。关于月兔传说是否源于印度，学界存在“印度输入说”与“本土起源说”之争。本文综合考古实物、甲骨文字、文献记载等多维证据，论证月兔观念实为中国本土自古有之的文化创造。兔本生故事自三国时期开始汉译传播，至唐代玄奘《大唐西域记》始见“寄之月轮”的情节。在此影响下，中国月兔形象完成了从单一到多元、从被动存在到主动行动、从长生意涵到布施精神的深刻转变。宋代“菊道人”听经坐禅、明清“兔儿爷下凡济世”等故事，生动体现了外来思想与本土信仰的有机融合。这一演变过程既印证了中华文化的本土根基，也展现了其对外来文化的包容与消化能力。

Abstract: The Chinese moon rabbit image underwent an evolution from the indigenous moon spirit to a localized form integrating foreign elements. Regarding whether the moon rabbit legend originated in India, the academic community has long debated between the “Indian origin theory” and the “indigenous origin theory.” Drawing on multidimensional evidence from archaeological artifacts, oracle bone inscriptions, and textual records, this paper argues that the moon rabbit concept was in fact an indigenous cultural creation of China since ancient times. The rabbit Jātaka began to be translated and disseminated in China during the Three Kingdoms period, and the motif of “entrusting it to the moon” first appeared in Xuanzang’s Great Tang Records on the Western Regions in the Tang Dynasty. Under this influence, the Chinese moon rabbit image underwent a profound transformation from singularity to plurality, from passive existence to active agency, and from the connotation of longevity to the spirit of giving. Stories such as the “Chrysanthemum Daoist” listening to sutras and sitting in meditation in the Song Dynasty, and the “Lord Rabbit descending to save the world” in the Ming and Qing dynasties, vividly embody the organic integration of foreign thought and indigenous belief. This evolutionary process not only confirms the indigenous foundations of Chinese culture but also demonstrates its capacity to embrace and assimilate foreign cultures.